Arrival & Security Information 2018

• Please consider the environment and car share if possible.
• The festival is clearly signposted from all major routes into Hatfield, Hertfordshire.
• Traffic from the A1(M) should come off at Junction 4 and follow yellow concert signage through the Hill End Gate (AL9 5PG) via the A414 dual carriageway
• Traffic from A414 dual carriageway will be directed through the Hill End Gate (AL9 5PG)
• Traffic coming from the North (from Welwyn Garden City) through Hatfield will be directed through the North Lodge (AL9 5LZ)
• Traffic coming up from Potters Bar through Hatfield will be directed through Georges Gate (AL9 5HX)
• Plenty of free parking is provided on site, including disabled parking. Car parks are open from 10.30am, with gates opening to the festival arena at 12 noon.
• Upon parking, please make a note of your row number and the direction of the exit.
• Pedestrians may enter through the Station Lodge entrance (opposite Hatfield train station)
• Arriving by train: As you may be aware from recent media coverage many railways including Thameslink are experiencing problems with their network. We have been advised that a new timetable comes into play on Sunday and you can access this at www.thameslinkrailway.com. However, as disruption to services is likely please do follow Thameslink on Twitter @TLRailUK ‏ to be sure you receive the most up to date service information.
• With several thousand festival-goers in attendance, traffic will inevitably be heavy on entry and exit.
  Please be assured that stewards and organisers will be working to keep traffic flowing as efficiently and safely as possible at all times, with a target rate of 800 cars per hour per exit. It can take up to 90 minutes to exit the car park and your patience and co-operation are greatly appreciated.
• Please advise Taxis (and any other vehicles making a drop-off or pick up) to follow the Taxi signage. Taxis need to be back on site for pick-up by 10.15pm. Taxi journeys must be booked in advance. Please see the detailed taxi information for further info

• Please ensure that you have printed all your tickets.
• In order to be verified by the scanners, the square barcode in the top left hand corner of your ticket must be a clear printout with crisp edges (as pictured). A faded or imperfect printout will result in delay at the gates. 
• For quick and efficient entry on the day, as you approach the ticket entrance please ensure that each individual in your party presents their own ticket with the square barcode clearly visible to the entry steward.
• If you are unable to print your tickets it is possible to scan them from the screen of your smart phone or tablet. However, it is vital that you have fully downloaded and saved the PDF to your device prior to arriving at the festival. It will not be possible to guarantee sufficient roaming internet coverage to do this on arrival.

Whilst Folk by the Oak is considered a low risk event, your wellbeing and safety is paramount to us. With this in mind we would like to make visitors aware of the following security measures which will be in place on the day:

• A canine search team will be working along the queues and within the auditorium. When you see the dogs at work please do not distract them, but if you wish to say hello please ask the handler!
• Door supervisors will carry out targeted bag searches and customer checks, including searches using pat-downs and metal detection wands.
• If you are bringing a picnic please consider pre-preparing as far as possible in order to limit the amount of equipment you need to bring with you on the day. Knives permitted on site will be limited to domestic knives 5 inches or under and folding knifes with a 3 inch blade or under.
• Whilst we are keen to maximise visitor safety, we will endeavour to ensure that these measures do not impact on your enjoyment of the day or detract from the relaxed atmosphere that Folk by the Oak has enjoyed for so many years! Your assistance and co-operation are greatly appreciated.

• Please bring your own seating / rugs and you are welcome to bring a picnic and drinks. We recommend bringing appropriate clothing for the weather, and warm clothes even in good weather as it is noticeably cooler after dark. In very hot weather please note that there is no shade on site so as per NHS advice in hot weather please pack sun hats, sunglasses, and cool loose clothing. Avoid excess alcohol and caffeine and instead drink plenty of water - bring reusable bottles of water and refill at the Water Point on site. The festival arena and car parks are well lit, but it can be useful to bring a torch to help pack up your things and find your car.
• The following are not permitted on site: flame torches, sky lanterns, BBQs, stoves, any naked flames, sound recording equipment. Dogs are NOT permitted (with the exception of assistance dogs). Please do not leave your dog/s in your car.

…and Go Green!
We’ve switched our generators over to bio-diesel, banned plastic straws on site, stopped using disposable plastic water bottles for backstage crew, printed our programmes on 100% recycled paper and introduced a solid cup refill system at the bars.

We need your help too! Please help us and our waste collection / recycling team to reduce the environmental impact of the festival as follows:

• Please consider pre-preparing your picnic as far as possible to limit the amount of equipment and disposable plastics you need to bring with you on the day.
• Pack food in Tupperware or similar re-usable storage rather than cling film, and bring re-usable plates and cutlery rather than plastic plates and straws.
• Take food scraps and leftovers home with you, as even recyclable materials may become landfill on site if are heavily contaminated with food waste.
• Bring filled re-usable water bottles with you and refill them at the Water Point on site.
• Please take your rubbish home with you where possible. Otherwise, please dispose of your refuse and recycling on site carefully. Look out for the special recycling points for your bottles, cans, clean paper and card. There will be bags available for you if you need them and you can deposit full bags by the green flagged recycling points. 

If you need any further information please explore the website, especially our FAQs page, and if you encounter any issues on the day please see staff at the Info Point on site (located at the Main Box Office) and we will endeavour to assist.